


Looking Up From the Ground

by didsomeonesayventus



Category: Fire Emblem Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Ambiguous/Open Ending, F/M, Gen, Original Universe, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:42:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22058737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/didsomeonesayventus/pseuds/didsomeonesayventus
Summary: Sometimes it's a wild ride when you end up dating a goddess.AKA I go bonkers and write from the perspective of an NPC in a fanwork TTRPG I've been involved in.
Relationships: My Unit | Kamui | Corrin & Tsubaki | Subaki





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> **BIG BIG BIG PREFACE PLEASE READ**
> 
> Hi! I don't normally make before fic commentary, but if it feels like there's a big chunk of story missing, thats because yes, yes there is.
> 
> This is an extremely self indulgent story that happens to be a POV switch from Corrin to Subaki, who's been playing he role of an NPC to a Monster of the Week campaign I've been involved with for... wanna say back half of 2019? at least since August I think.
> 
> Some quick terms to define:
> 
> * Glamour: folks tied to the arcane, magical part of the world. Generally divided into Glimmers and Shifters.  
> * Shifter: Glamours who, as in the name, shift form. Your werewolves and such.  
> * Glimmer: magic users.  
> * Sylph: basically Glamour gods who act as community figureheads; there's 3 at one time, reincarnate upon death.  
> * The Fort: a fictional town based off of Gatlinburg, Tennessee
> 
> Also last, but not least, shout out and love to our Keeper, Icarus, who's been working incredibly hard on an incredible journey, and my fellow party members Wulf, Saturn, Bonnie, and Mo, who have all helped make this setting and keep this ride as one hell of a wild one. All of you are feral as fuck gays, and I hope it stays that way.
> 
> And for you guys, actually, heads up if anything is funky and contradictory to Our Lore(tm) please know this is my one (1) braincell trying very hard to remember everything that was said and in what order it went ahdbdnsnd.

Tonight was not a good night. 

There was nowhere to linger at Saber’s party- too old to hang out with his kids, Conrad and Celica, and their little friends, but also too young to get involved with the increasingly less sober adults. Your words have had nowhere to go and stumble out awkwardly (hopefully miss Catria would understand that you meant you wouldn’t date a girl you just met and that she was surely lovely, you didn’t mean it like that). 

It’s cold- hell of a snow storm for Christmas Eve and you’ve been in the thick of it because you were the only one sober enough to work and got volunteered. You lost the emergency blanket on the way here because you figured a motorcycle on ice was the best shot you had. You ended up in an increasingly sloppy 3-way- no, 4-way stand off between you, the guy who kidnapped your target, Catria (14 years old and a better shot than you, sheesh), and some other guy you kinda recognized, like he was popular in town, but didn’t particularly want to know. There’s blood everywhere, a panicked girl at your side and the guy who took her- or maybe she found him? You don’t even know anymore. 

There was also some other guy who managed to teleport you and everyone? You don’t know why he was with Catria. You don’t know why he saw you and ran off to cry. You hope he’s okay, because you kinda wanna cry, too, at how awful a job you’ve done tonight.

You’ve also stopped questioning a lot of things since Jesse roped you into this shitstorm with Mr. Saber and his gang, the Diviners. Monsters being real, people hunting them being the bad guys, the base for the good guys tucked in a magical corner of The Fort and some place called Sanctuary farther out of town that you’ll probably get to see eventually. Despite being 18 and for all intents and purposes an adult getting on with your life, the pressure is overbearing and you still feel like a kid most times, but you’ve stopped questioning it. It’s something colder than the snowstorm.

You’ve got a purpose. You’ve got people to help. You’ve got a motorcycle-

Shit. Shit! The guy- You look over your shoulder as you’re hobbling through the insane christmas decor of the Hoshido residence to look for him- blond, wild eyed like there was something boiling in his blood (until he saw you?) -but he vanished into the storm after dropping you off. Your motorcycle’s still out there. You’re gonna hear it now- got the girl hurt, couldn’t find a way out and had to have some stranger get you here, and the fucking motorcycle-

It doesn’t matter. Doorstep, ring the bell, bell’s too slow so start knocking, pounding.

The girl’s small. Sweet. Rosy-haired and timid and shaking from shock and cold. You’ve got her home but it feels like you’ve failed her. She’s strong for not breaking down wailing because your dumb ass let her get shot at because you couldn’t pull out your pistol you just had to try and talk it out-

It feels like forever until someone answers the door: “Yes can I- Oh, god-”

“Hi, special delivery from the Diviners, your daughter needs help.” It stumbles out of you breathless and rushed and (by your standards) scared.

The woman- Sakura’s mother -nods and ushers you all in without a blemish to her elegant composure. You’re quite jealous of that, but there’s not much time to express it when you’re standing awkwardly to the side as she works at the bullet wound. For both of them. You feel especially awkward given this weird guy- Gaius, Sakura said? -also got hurt. You’re unscathed, but it seems like everyone but you got shot at tonight.

It’s a lot to process and you have to blink when Sakura’s mother is talking with you again. She’s grateful that you stumbled up to her doorstep with her daughter and a stranger bleeding out on it. Grateful for the second rate at best job you did, apparently. She’ll buy a new motorcycle. She offers to make you Sakura’s babysitter and if you want to stay for dinner. 

Before you can answer something besides pathetic sputtering, Sakura’s siblings start yelling about a book being eaten, but then they’re being dragged off by the eldest of them. You don’t have siblings. You have parents, and you kinda love them. They’ve been a big drive in your strides for being perfect, they’re alright, but they’ve never felt this warm. 

She asks if you have anything besides them- any friends? Are you really this alone?

And you’re not. Of course you’re not you know people, you make a good impression and you... kinda keep in touch... Okay, Jesse is really the only guy you’ve kept in touch with, and that’s because he refuses to give up on you guys going out no matter how many times you point out you’re not interested. You’re not alone. You’re _friendly_ , perfectly so, how could you be alone?

Mikoto- she says you’re family now and she means it. You know she means it because she sounds so gentle and happy. She’s more than satisfied her daughter came back at all, and she’s more than happy that it was you who brought her back.

You’re not sure if you want to stay for dinner. You’re not sure if you really earned it. On top of that, you’re terribly rude for asking what it was and then making her family sound like a bunch of monsters for parroting her attempt to reassure you that, Glamour or not, they’re perfectly capable of a reasonable human dinner like ham.

But she doesn’t seem to mind.

None of them do.

Sakura sits next to you at dinner and is smiling.

You stare at the ceiling when you get home, wondering when their warmth is going to leave and then wondering why it doesn’t.

...

Mikoto also talked about Saber leaving that night, and you hoped it was just her having a weird sense of humor. She also also mentioned Jesse would be the next leader, and you were pretty sure you’d be leaving real quick if that was the case (good thing you have the babysitting gig with one of The Fort’s richest families, huh?).

Turns out she was just as serious as she sounded. Saber went up and left without much word besides Jesse was in charge of the Diviners now.

You exchange glances with him, sometimes. You wonder how he’s handling it. Leadership is something you never expected of a relentless flirt like him, but he seems to take it alright. You know you’re good, but you know you’d be a headless chicken at this point with nowhere to put your stress.

You keep babysitting Sakura. You keep doing runs for the Diviners and helping Glamour kids get back in safe hands and- dangerous as hell or not -it never gets old seeing them smile. You move out to an okay ranch house with a barn that the owner didn’t want to bother with anymore, and become awkward neighbors with the poor girl you insulted five minutes after meeting her with a bunch of awkward smalltalk and her sisters. You kinda wonder if the old owner really moved because of the barn. Niles is a bitch. Sonya is also a bitch but in the cool sense. Deen doesn’t talk much. Kaden is playful, but capricious, and his golem boyfriend Hinata probably has literal rocks for brains, but they’re a happy item and useful when it came down to things. 

You don’t know where Saber went: he’s not in Sanctuary or The Fort. His kids aren't either, but you’re confident they’re in his good hands, at least. You at least see their friends hanging around every now and then, but have no reason to reach out to them. Especially when Alm’s gotten more and more tangled up in Clive’s business. He’s a sweet boy, you know he’s got a good head on his shoulders, Celica was close friends with him for a reason, but you’re not going to play with fire trying to pull him onto the right side of things. He’ll find it in time, and if he doesn’t then Python can drag his ass over.

The Heartbreakers Club- home sweet home base -grows a bit, but business is always a bit weird when the clientele are of the unique sort you deal with, especially when it’s been magicked-up to only appear to folks who know what to look for. The weird sex shop upstairs stays in business somehow! Some days for sure you swear that’s a real magic trick.

You pick dirt out of your nails with your pocket knife as you serve as the club’s bouncer most days for about 5 or 6 years.

You’re good at first impressions. 

At least that’s something you know you’re good at.

...

She’s _perfect._

~~Wait. Oh god, not today! Your hair is awful. (She doesn’t seem to care.)~~

You’ve never seen anyone or thing like her.

She walks with a sense of purpose, but also wonder. Graceful and wide eyed, with pointed ears (a Glamour, likely) and a beautifully curved frame. Her white dress is pristine, crisp against the near-black navy hair down to her waist, and her eyes... Her eyes are warm red, like the dying embers of the fireplace at Mikoto’s house in the middle of Christmas night when she fussed with your clothes and made sure you’d be warm on your way home while her children slept in a dogpile on the floor to supposedly wait for Santa. You’ve heard of people described as glowing, and she is not only glowing but brilliant, _radiant._

She is _**warm.**_

You don’t know the first words out of her mouth. It’s a language you don’t understand. She clears her throat.

“I’m looking for someone who can help me.”

She sounds like an angel. She looks like an angel. Is she an angel? You’ve heard of and seen weirder.

“Well, you’ve come to the right place.”

She holds your hand. It’s a sudden, awkward, but well meant gesture. She’s _warm_. She mentions her name is Corrin.

You usher her in, figuring this was the “special guest” Jesse was expecting, and then spend the rest of your night craning your neck over the crowd of clubbers to watch her talk with Niles in the back. Seated prim and proper at the bar, skeptic of an offered glass filled with either water or vodka (which probably explained the skepticism). You make a note to talk with Niles about pulling a knife on a fine lady, but at last Jesse arrives, winks in a clear indication he tried flirting with her, and soon enough she’s whisked away...

Towards Saber’s old room. Huh.

You don’t get much time to think over it between thinking about her, and not even that much time to think about her before Niles the one-eyed-bastard starts ribbing the shit out of you for ogling the new girl. Yeah! He saw that! Somehow.

Niles is a bitch and can piss off.

...

Jesse leaves for an assignment. 

Something about the actual monsters- actual, mindless, dangerous monsters, not the Shifters -that are cropping up around town lately, you think, but he’s being tight lipped about something for once in his goddamn life. The big, tough man of action, and all, or so how he finally wants to act, you suppose.

“If I die,” He winks, he sounds like he’s joking, “Niles is in charge.”

“Right.” One-eyed-bastard replies with a sense of sobriety for once.

“Get along, you two.” Jesse sounds like he’s about to start laughing uncontrollably. You and Niles exchange a neutral glance that slowly morphs: he smiles wide, too wide, inviting a chance to take the bait. You feel the only thing keeping you from frowning deeper is a fear of wrinkles.

You fist bump with Jesse for luck. You don’t actually ask him to make it back safe, but you hope he does anyways, just to yourself.

Jesse doesn’t come back.

You feel a little cold.

...

You insist on being the one to get her in the morning. Niles continues to give you shit for it but Niles can absolutely piss off.

You knock. You hope she’s decent and you can avoid anything awkward. Jacket goes first when you enter after her answer, and when you lower it she’s- by an underestimation -decent as she grabs a silver trident from leaning against the wall. The t-shirt’s too big, but it hangs off one shoulder with a purposeful sense of style. The blue capris fit better, definitely her color. A ribbon with a silk flower serves a headband to keep the larger part of her hair out of her face, but spares the adorably curly bangs that know just how to frame her slightly drooping eyes and soft lips.

Well, she’s part of the club now. You offer up your jacket. You can work on another one later. She makes a fuss about it- “Oh? For me? Really?” -but it’s clear she doesn’t hesitate to put it on. Little big, but it suits her. Leather’s bulky, size is wrong, but it looks good on her. You begin to wonder if anything could.

The first time you see her frown is when she asks for Jesse. You have to break the bad news.

“Mr. Jesse? I-I talked with him last night he- He looked like he was in perfect health I- I know- you’re fragile but I- I don’t understand...”

You kinda don’t, either. The job means you’re not much of a stranger to death- accidents happen, some folks get in the way of your goals -and Jesse’s never... _really_ been your friend. Maybe you’ve just told yourself that all this time. There’s time to mourn, and it’s later, not now. Time to sort out the cold chunk inside you realizing that the guy who’s managed to lead the crew the past 5 years or so has bit the dust. The guy you walked across the graduation stage with, the one who unashamedly asked you out to prom, the guy who always grabbed a seat next to you likely because he knew you were the one willing to put up with him.

There’s a time and place for that.

It’s later.

...

Hinata and Kaden are the definition of honeymooners. Always schmoozing, always sharing a bike. Corrin watches them, mirrors them behind you on your motorcycle. She’s friendly, but seem to be trying to match their bond. Her arms grip tighter, she leans into you with her head on your shoulder.

She can’t be into you, can she? Is it just naivety on how paired operations run? She seems naive, perplexed, she might just be following the leader.

You don’t mind it.

She eventually breaks off as things get messy, a weird convergence of groups- Catria on horseback getting chased by Saber and some kids in a beat up truck, and then there’s that Alm fellow and a guy you know likes to hang around Valbar like the man is the air he breathes. The chase halts and everyone takes a beat to catch up.

Things get a little messier when a blob enters the picture.

You feel a little useless, but can it be helped when there’s so many people ready and willing to fight? If anything you’re happy to sit back and watch as Corrin- with that same trident from earlier -proceeds to go at the monster in a graceful frenzy.

She could absolutely kick your ass, you realize.

You whistle a bit, and the two of you don’t talk much on the way back to the Heartbreaker’s Club.

...

“Well, if you’re interested in someone, you just have to say it. Like with Subaki-”

“Wait, we’re a thing?”

You both seem surprised at how easily she let it slip, and so does everyone else gathered for this little round table about what to do with this blob monster, but she shrugs. Her face is getting red, “I-if you want? I would like it.”

So she really is into you! You feel that warmth again.

“I’d be delighted to.”

You didn’t think asking her out would be this easy, but then again she did most of the work for you.

She holds your hand.

Fall’s starting, but it feels like summer isn't going to be ending any time soon.

...

You learn in the coming months that your assumption of naivety was correct. She looks at smart phones with curiosity, and seems delighted with a video chat she catches over your shoulder. She points at airplanes. She talks about how ingenious they are, how proud she is of whoever came up with the idea of flight. You mention it’s the Wright brothers, and then you have to explain they’ve been dead for about a century when she insists on congratulating them in person.

She mentions she’s at least happy that their bond lead to such a lovely thing.

You wonder just how isolated wherever she came from was.

She also shows remarkable impatience. She asks every day if your gang will get a move on and help her. Whatever she’s looking for is important, she insists, but she never mentions what it is and refuses to answer. You figure you’ll hear about it eventually, but it seems Jesse was the only brain cell around with the clue to what it was. 

Jesse joked about dying, no one seemed to actually think he would, the group feels almost headless. You saw Saber, he’s apparently come back, but he’s not entirely rejoining. His daughter’s taking the reins of yet another group in this mess, and you can only fret over if she’s taking care of herself, too (you learned that pretty late, and you can only hope Saber learned from your brief time interacting). Niles is keeping his head well enough. You act as a proxy for Corrin’s frustrations and he shrugs when you ask if you’re going to get searching for whatever the mysterious MacGuffin of hers is.

But she’s fine with you explaining that these things take time. Sometimes Corrin wonders if there’s time, she thinks about it, but then shrugs. Yes, perhaps there is time. Things were relatively okay, especially after the blob incident. She seems anxious sometimes. She’s good at masking it, but you know the tells. The impatient movements, the listless staring, not knowing what to do with her hands.

Fortunately you’re good at getting her to relax. She loves going on rides with you, mentions the wind in her hair is lovely. She likes The Fort, she thinks its quaint and full of wonderful people. She leans her head against your shoulder and holds your hand over your heart and you feel warm. You feel seen and adored when she nods along eagerly to your stories about your time with the Diviners.

You bring up Valbar’s halloween party. Then you have to explain to her what halloween is. She finds the concept of costumes charming, and you both want to do themed ones together. You don’t know what though. Nothing tacky or cliche, she deserves better than to be a cheap joke and you wouldn’t be caught dead as one (not on purpose).

A few ideas bounce listlessly between you two until one night you’re cuddled up and watching a bootleg recording of a musical you’ve been meaning to check out called _Hadestown_ or something. You like it, but Corrin is immediately charmed. They start the finale and singing about the song being sung again even though it doesn’t end well, and she finally pries her gaze from the spectacle to look at you with a teary grin. You wipe the tears from her eyes as she asks:

“Wanna be Eurydice for halloween?”

...

She thinks you look good with your hair braided. You feel a little weird looking purposefully scuffed up, but it’s the part you’re playing so it’s fine. She looks wonderful in a button up shirt with a fake carnation tucked in the lapel, and a skirt your mother used to wear that somehow ended up in your possession. She makes for a lovely Orpheus.

Still, the party’s kind of boring and awkward. You know some people, but Corrin’s the strongest connection you have. She giggles and mirrors every compliment you make, and it makes for what is undoubtedly, agonizingly painful flirting for any witnesses. You don’t care, oddly. You’re more focused on other things, like your lips on her neck and the soft scent of lavender in her hair. You know you’re going to have to explain hickies to her tonight, and you also don’t care about that.

Corrin gets up and leaves. Something’s up over in the corner with the Whitewings, though you note an odd absence of the youngest sister, Est, and that Palla and Minerva are awfully close to each other, and Sonya’s watching Catria- convulsing on the floor -with a touch of concern (were they flirting earlier? You didn’t get a good look). But things seem to work out okay. Corrin introduces herself, then gets roped into some tarot card thing as Delthea arrives.  
Good that she’s getting some practice in for her powers.

Corrin looks shaken by whatever Delthea’s talking about. You can’t see her face but you see her shoulders stiffen and her hands balling into fists in her lap. It’s hard to make out what’s said over the chatter. Something about pretending, about letting go. You catch the cards- 9 of Pentacles reversed, The Hanged Man, 3 of Pentacles -but tarot is the sort of subject you've never really looked into.

That kid- Alm, was it? Celica’s friend -is patting Corrin’s back, then takes his own turn. Soon enough something grabs his attention and he leaves.

Corrin follows.

You hope she’s okay.

...

When Corrin gets back she clearly does not want to talk about whatever she’s witnessed so far tonight. She looks disturbed, a touch angry.

You can smooth it over. You offer to go out back, somewhere quieter away from most of the partygoers, and she quickly agrees. Her hands feel clammy and grip yours too tight. Eventually the two of you find a quiet, secluded spot, and in the dying chill of October you get right back into kissing as if she never left. You only meant to distract her and you can already feel the moment getting away from you like an escaped balloon.

Her hands tangle in your hair. Her lips are soft and clinging. You both make a few more clouds in the cold night air with every breath. You dare to reach up her skirt, trace the her thigh with your fingertips before finding its curve in your palm a perfect fit. You have her against the wall in a haze, and you don’t mind her fingers toying with your shirt. It doesn’t matter that it’s halloween night and the moon is a bare sliver against the sky and that it’s cold because Corrin feels like the midsummer sun. You want her. It feels like something like this has taken too long to get to. God, you’re impatient and wanting and she’s right here and her skirt’s getting higher and your shirt’s getting tugged off and-

And the balloon pops. She’s stiff, suddenly, and the moment you pull away to ask what’s wrong she answers before you even get a chance to ask.

“I-I’m sorry I- I need to go.”

“I- um... okay.”

You let her go without another word, without a squabble or protest, and she rushes off into the night. You don’t know where it came from. You _swear_ she was just as eager as you were. You think about Delthea talking about pretending and letting go. You think about how selfish you were getting.

It’s cold without her. It’s really cold.

You head back inside. Valbar offers a drink, and you know what? Cheers. You don’t really drink- it leaves way too much room for embarrassment you can barely stomach thinking about -but one drink won’t hurt.

Valbar’s a good guy. Built like the very definition of a bear- both in strength and heart. Got the muscle of an actual one, has the softness of a stuffed one, it’s a good package. His wife and kids were lucky to have him. You both talk about things besides that, all sorts of awkward small talk and catching up, but you can only think about how awful it is that he lost everything he had. It’s like some vicious undertow ready to pull the conversation to a grimmer place if you don’t watch your mouth.

Are you about to lose what you were just starting to get? Maybe you are. Jesse’s gone, Corrin’s gone, lonely, lonely Valbar’s talking with you. You’re seeing yourself in his shoes, a guy who had everything going great and had it taken with one swift stroke.

Well, this was by your own hand and not some twisted fucker who thought he was doing this for the greater good. Entirely your fault and not one piss of a spin on the wheel of fortune. You share a spontaneous, unlabeled toast. In your head it’s dedicated as one big, hearty “fuck you” to the Deliverance, just for Valbar. You wonder what he’s toasting about, but you follow his lead and don’t pry.

Valbar asks about Corrin; “that girl of yours” he says. You shrug, your words getting lost in the pit of your stomach. He asks where she went and you don’t know.

“She’ll come back,” He says with a pat on your back, “She seems like a sweet type, and she was downright glued to you most of the night. Maybe she just got shy, buddy, take it easy.” 

You stare at your drink. No, you just got impatient, pushy, selfish. You’re a fucking moron who made her uncomfortable. You’re anticipating a break-up talk when she comes back, if at all. You wouldn’t hold it against her if she didn’t.

You decide that this one drink is quite enough, but you’re also not done with it yet.

Valbar leaves to entertain the other guests at his party, check up on the snacks like a perfect host. You sulk. You grumble about how much of an oafish, imbecilic, simpleton, jackass meathad, dimwitted-

“Been awhile since I’ve seen you this grumpy, flyboy.”

Sonya’s walked up to you in all her tits out glory. She leans against the counter you’re sitting at, and you just grumble in reply.

“Oh, come on now. It’s a party, lighten up. I thought you were a perfect guest, or something.” She reaches out and toys with your hair a bit. Her head cocks to one side to lean against her hand, “Didn’t you come with your little girlfriend? Where’s she at?”

“She’s getting some fresh air.” It’s the best answer you have.

“Not surprised,” Sonya hums, “You two were downright smothering each other. Learn to back off with a lady, would you?” The remark doesn’t make you feel any better until she adds, “Then again, she wasn’t giving you much room either. Ah, love.” She seems to finally notice the drink, and sobers up a bit.

“Wait, did she dump you, or something, sweetie?” She sounds accusatory rather than sympathetic, “Unless you just spontaneously decided to start drinking for once?”

You shrug. You don’t know.

“Awfully _rude_ to dump you at a party, don’t you think?”

“That’s the thing,” you mutter, “I don’t know if she did.”

“You don’t-?” Sonya sputters, then sighs, “Honestly, Subaki, you’ve always been such a piece of work... Tell me what happened.” She tsks when you don’t immediately answer: “Come on now, the night isn’t getting any younger.” You skip over some of the details, and Sonya doesn’t seem to catch on. Her hand taps impatiently against the counter and her gaze is stony and callous.

She’s a very weird listener. She doesn’t get soft, she gets mad. She gets offended for your sake. She pretends not to care most of the time, and most of the time she doesn’t- which sometimes you find troubling, given she’s the eldest Sylph, but you have no say in that matter. That’s Glamour business.

“So she just ran off into the woods?” Sonya asks.

“Yeah. Basically.”

“After you two were trying to...” She trails off, letting implication be implication. She takes your silence as a yes, “Alright, can’t say that’s dumping you, but... Yes, that is quite rough.” She pats your head, “Since you’re in need of some advice: you talk with her when she gets back. It’s not the end of the world until someone says it is.”

She’s patronizing, teasing, but you can’t bring yourself to get mad at it this time.

“Not the end of the world until someone says it is.” You repeat. There’s a lot of comfort in that.

“Good boy.” Sonya hums, “Remember to drink your water, and enjoy your advice from a goddess.” With that, she leaves you alone.

You wait for Corrin. The party dies down a bit. Did she try and go home on her own? It was a long walk to your place and an even longer one back to the Heartbreaker’s Club. She’s smart, but a move like that wouldn’t be surprising. And it’s dark. She might misremember the way. You make sure you have everything you brought and get your keys ready, thank Valbar for the good time. Valbar makes sure to crush your lungs at least once before you get going. He pats your back and tells you to stay safe out there while you wheeze.

You’re about to head out the door when Corrin meets you there in the entryway. She was shaken earlier, and flat out terrified now. Her eyes are wide, a cold sweat lines her brow with tear tracks on her cheeks. She trembles, and you’re pretty sure it isn’t the cold.

“Hey, what happened? Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” A lie, “Yes I-I’m fine I just- I haven’t been honest with you. About-” 

Ah, here it comes-

“Who I am.” She shakes her head, her lips curl inward. You don’t think it would matter, but whatever she says next might change that. “I-I’m- I’m a divine being. A goddess.” Her explanation is stilted, and yet you’ve heard weirder.

You laugh a little. Not maliciously, but: “That must be why you’re so heavenly.”

She laughs with you, but it’s strained. Her voice cracks and brays. “No, no I-I’m serious, I- I am.”

“Yeah, and I believe you.” You do. It starts making sense now. The magic, the pointed ears, the looks, the complete lack of understanding about the world like an old lady who doesn’t know how to navigate modern tech. She's not a Glamour, and she's not one of the 3 Slyphs, but a goddess come down for some mortal meddling? Makes sense.

As far as what you were expecting, talking with her is going amazing and then some. Not only did she come back and mean to stay with you, you’ve attracted the affections of a _goddess._

She holds your hand tight and smiles, but it fades quickly, “A-and I- I need to tell you about- about my father, and-” She waves her hand, “I-in the morning-” she shakes her head, “No, no, I should tell you now-”

“In the morning.” You gently urge, and cover her hand with your own, “Deep breaths, love.”

“Okay.” It’s a squeak of a word.

You take her home. You think about maybe getting back to what you were about to do, distract her from whatever was bothering her. Something is bothering a goddess and you feel like that should bother you, but another day, another time. You can’t both lose your heads, so you need to be the rock for a second.

She heads for the barn the moment she can hop off your motorcycle.

“Corrin? We’re not, um, sleeping in the barn-”

“Oh! Wait, I-I forgot to tell you, um!” She turns, bouncing, hands shaking. “So, uh... um... I-I’m so sorry, Subaki, but, um-”

“Sweetheart, you can tell me anything. You know that, right?” You follow after her. “What’s there to apologize for?”

She leans against the door. “Well... um...” You’re starting to hear muffled voices on the other side. It’s not your birthday and you don’t think it’s hers, so it can’t be a surprise party. Unless she just wanted to throw one and forgot? Maybe that was why she left. Not much of a surprise if you can call it now, but-

She tilts her head with an anxious smile, “Did you plan on being a father?”

“Wh-” You could’ve become one real quick tonight, you realize. “Corrin, what’s going on-”

“13 children.” She spits it out. Her lips curl inward, her eyes dart around, but at least she’s thinking about something else.

“13 children?” You just have to make sure you heard that right.

She nods, with an odd smile- like she’s equal parts terrified and excited -then opens the doors, “Miss Palla, Miss Catria, thank you both _so_ much for making sure everyone was well behaved while I got Subaki back!”

Yeah!

13 kids!

Well, some of them look old enough to start edging out of being “kids” per say, but they’re all clearly minors and there’s a venerable menagerie of them. One of them is definitely a Shifter, you can tell with the bits of fur and the ears on him. Another pings a similar vibe: not really human, but she seems pretty put together. One girl had been hovering in the loft, squatting, surveying the grounds like a sort of look out, and when she spots you she stiffens. Well, kind of spots you- one of her eyes is... really fucked up, for lack of a more eloquent phrasing.

“Miss Corrin, you’ve returned!”

A lot of the kids seem reclusive, but this guy sure as hell isn’t. He bounds up to you and Corrin, blond, wild eyed like there was something boiling in his blood and- Oh, there’s the oddest sense of deja vu when you see him.

“Yes, Owain, I have, just like I said I would.”

“Such splendid news, O matron of this home! The warmest of greetings upon your return!”

You catch Palla and Catria sharing a look between them, and then they look at you with pity. They talk with Corrin about what happened while you're being bombarded with 13 kids at once, but you manage to catch them as they're leaving.

"Um, thank you for keeping an eye on them."

"You're welcome." Palla replies.

"Good luck..." Catria mumbles, "I think you're gonna need it."

You laugh nervously, "As if I need luck."

13 kids.

Jesus Christ.

Corrin Christ?

All things considered you just feel numb instead of panicked, so this is fine.

...

You don't get back to what you were going to do that night. She just curls up against you in bed, silent as can be. Her hand rests over your heart and her head is gentle against yours. You try a few small questions, but you can’t get her to open up and so you quietly assure her it can wait until the morning.

In the morning you check on the kids, then make a big pot of matcha- Mikoto's always done the same when you need to crash at her place in the midst of an anxiety spiral, and you follow every step she would take to make the perfect cup to hand to Corrin.

She looks old. The metaphorical kind where her gaze is fixed on forever. She spends a long time sipping the tea and saying nothing.

She starts talking around cup number 3.

She starts, very simply, at the beginning. A creator's name that you've never heard of: Anankos. He’s her father. She describes all the things this creator has done, the wisdom he poured into the world. He made her, and her brother, the world, the people, and lead with benevolent wisdom. 

For a time.

The next breath she scorns him. She talks in perhaps too much detail about what he asked her to do, calls him foolish and a monster and a sociopath.

"But, you see, I'm his heart. Half of it anyways." She explains. 

He removed her to stop favoritism, supposedly, but without his feelings he went mad. He became the very devil she scorned. He told her to kill for the pettiest of crimes as he followed whatever the thinnest strings of logic decided. He had no compassion with which to parse any actual justice anymore, and so wisdom and fair judgement without bias devolved into extermination at the slightest provocation. What made Corrin put her foot down at last was asking to kill her sister, Azura, when she was discovered. 

Put her foot down she did: raised her sister in spite of her father’s demands with her brother, Kamui, and the three of them cast the creator out of creation.

She says she's selfish and a fool herself for not stopping him sooner.

You're still hung up on some of the... _excessive_ details of the blood on her hands.

Her composure has been dissolving more and more the longer she goes on. She goes from grim and vacant silence to tears on the cusp of wailing. Her words go from stilted and reluctant to wave upon wave of memories dredged from lifetime after lifetime witnessed. It’s.... overwhelming. For you and her. You don’t know how to respond besides filling her cup again and again, then making a run for tissues. And a second run for tissues. Her tears have no end and she goes through two whole boxes in her grief.

Dating a goddess is suddenly a little less fun, but every relationship has a drawback.

“I’m sorry.” She weeps, she hiccups, “I-I’m sorry, I- I’ve never- the only ones who ever knew have been my sister and brother and- and I’ve never- I’ve never had to e-e-explain this. To anyone. I- It just- It just came out and-”

“It’s fine.” It’s the first words you’ve spoken in a long time. You hold her, run your hand through her hair. Her latest cup of matcha is getting cold on the bedside table. “It’s fine.”

“U-Um.... A-Alm. And Catria. And Conrad. They’re coming by later so I-I can tell them, too.”

“Okay, okay. Deep breaths, sweetheart.”

“I’m sorry,” she weeps anew, “T-this must be so overwhelming for you but I- I’ve been lying to you-”

“Sweetheart, no, no you haven’t-”

“I haven’t told you this and I should have!” She sighs, “I’m asking you to look for my father’s seal and- and I haven’t even told you that!”

Yeah, that is a sore point, but... “It’s okay, thank you for telling me.”

“Even if it’s late?”

“Even if it’s late.” You throw her a smile, “Not the end of the world until someone says it is, right?”

She laughs. You can’t tell if it’s a good laugh or not.

“Hey sweetheart?” you add.

“Yes, Subaki?”

“Would you like some critique? To make it easier on Alm and Catria and Conrad.”

“Oh, y-yes, of course.”

“Maybe go a little lighter on the crash course in killing people?”

“Oh. Y-yeah, I... I probably should.”

...

You receive a crash course in children with a terrible childhood while Corrin gives her friends the crash course in being a deity with daddy issues.

The very basic detail they all share is they came from an abandoned mine Catria and Palla found, and are apparently the remnants of a cult. They’re all touched, all a little weird and feral with their own little off beat rhythms and impressions. You’re pretty sure all their parents are dead, given that a few of them have been said to walk into a pit to join “the Eye”. They quickly decide to start calling you and Corrin their mother and father, or as "Mister Subaki" and "Miss Corrin". They at least got manners.

Kjelle is rather aggressive. She talks a lot about how her job is protecting everyone. You’re glad that you’re off the hook, but she doesn’t seem too sure if that arrangement is going to stay. For now she keeps her skills sharp with hay bales, and you’re content it’s not you.

Yarne is a Shifter just like you thought. A rabbit, which you’ve never seen before, but you suppose there’s a lot of things about Shifters you still don’t know. He’s anxious and terrified of almost everything, but a good kid. He apologizes for taking up space and breathing and all those little things, but you reassure him it’s not much trouble. You think about how Yarne needs a lot of love, and Kaden and Hinata had plenty to spare and wanted to adopt.

Nah is also a shifter, but only by her own cofession about being "kinda like Yarne. Not the _same_ same, but kinda." And she doesn’t have an enchantment to curb her more bestial traits like other Glamours, it’s why you knew immediately Yarne was one. She’s very polite. You’re a little scared about what kind of Shifter she is. You’ll need to ask someone. Maybe Valbar.

Noire seems fine enough at first flush. Timid and anxious and that sort of deal, but at the drop of a pin she can pull a complete 180 and it’s a bit terrifying. She mentions her mother and hexes during one of her calmer moments, but she doesn’t elaborate and you don’t press.

Severa doesn’t seem to like you much. She’s a bit grumpy with everyone, actually, and for you it’s hard to say if she just doesn’t like you or is unimpressed or doesn’t like anyone or some mix of it all. It takes a second for you to figure out how to get her to like you, and when she huffs about your clothes you ask for her advice. Severa is a little less grumpy with you, but thinks a white t-shirt is pretty boring.

Laurent won’t stop looking at you with suspicion. You think his face might be stuck that way, and if it isn’t now it will be soon. You catch him eyeing a book you brought, and you ask if he would like to read it. He finally says something, and soon enough he’s tucked himself into the corner to consume each and every page.

Cynthia wants to be a hero. It’s all she talks about. A champion of this “Eye of Galatine” they all mention, but then she snuffs out that idea and mentions she wants to be like Corrin, too, since she swept in and took them out of the mineshaft they’d been calling home. A real woman of action right there! It’s kinda cute.

Inigo wants to flirt with girls. He does not seem to realize he knows several. Corrin mentioned he mistook a horse for one earlier, then went back to his apparently usual hobby of flirting with rocks. He also wants to learn how to play baseball. This kid is going places, you know that at least.

Morgan and Marc are twins, and they talk in unison. It’s a bit weird, but eventually you get used to the double in their voices and focus a little more on how eagerly they dig holes. It doesn’t really hurt anything, you reassure yourself. Just watch your step and fill them in later. Maybe with flowers.

Gerome also looks at you with suspicion. He won’t say anything no matter what you try. You have a horse that you jokingly named after the Whitewing’s boss, Minerva, and Gerome follows you when you go to take care of her. You give him her name. He pats her neck, she nuzzles him back, and you can see the sparks of joy between them. You offer to teach him how to take care of her. He nods.

Brady is very easily overwhelmed. He talks tough, but his knees shake and his eyes tear up. You give him space, ask if there’s anything he needs. Eventually he opens up and mentions that he found a baby field mouse in a corner of the barn and he’s been trying to keep it warm, and he can barely get through the words without tearing up. He wants to name it and keep it as a pet. You tell him it’s gotta stay in the barn, and you both settle on the name Champ.

Owain is... Something. He speaks in grand gestures and eloquent turns of phrase that are borderline nonsense. They work, but almost nonsense nonetheless. He wants to learn how to play baseball, too, but better than Inigo so he can pay attention to him. He talks the most about the apparent cult these kids found themselves in, he goes at length about the rules and customs. Then he also goes at length about his younger brother, Brady. He’s a good kid. Touched, but trying. He definitely reminds you of that guy all those years ago.

Lucina is a girl in rough shape, but hides it like a champ. The scar over her eye sometimes looks purposeful, like it was supposed to be a sort of sigil, but regardless if it was or not she can’t see out of it. She talks about being the leader. She always looks like she’s challenging you when she says what she wants for her and her friends. For the moment she is subjugated by you, but there is a tension under her compliance. She watches you. She is always watching you. You try not to step on her toes, she’s clearly as antsy as the rest. There’s a sort of sweetness to the protectiveness, and you can start sniffing it out when she finally starts relaxing and understanding you’re here to help all of them.

You’ve learned a lot. They’re all weird kids, but you like them. They’ll be hell to figure out homes for- you really only have ideas for Nah and Yarne -but it’s your job. Well, maybe not to relocate _ordinary_ kids, but with what little you’ve picked up about the Cult of Galatine you’re pretty sure these kids know pretty well about the whole Glamour situation, so they’re going to need some very special care and attention.

They’re very extraordinary, and you’re going to make sure they get extraordinary attention.

It’s been awhile. It’s getting kinda late. You were expecting Corrin to come by when she was done and yet there hasn’t even been a knock. Is it really that late, or have you just been caught up learning about your new wards? You tell everyone good night, and that you’ll come back in the morning, and try to ignore some of the cheerfully blithe comments that maybe you won’t, but it’s okay that just means that the eye chose you to ascend.

Whatever the _hell_ that means.

But you’re halted by a request for Corrin to come say good night, too.

“Well, let me go get her real quick, then. Be right back, guys, you’ll hardly miss me.”

It’s a hop, skip, and jump to your house from the barn, they might not have even realized you were gone if you didn’t tell them. The front door is a little jammed when you go to open it, you’ll have to look into th-

Corrin was leaning against it. Ah. No issue.

“Corrin? Hey, swee- _dear god what happened._ ”

There’s a much bigger issue in the red all over. Smudged at the corner of her mouth, plastered over her neck and collarbone, soaked into her shirt. She looks pale and clammy, her eyes are somewhat glassy. Most of the blood is dried, her wounds seem to be closed up, but it’s one hell of a sight. She looks like a ghost.

“I’m fine.” She mumbles, “Explaining got... a little interesting.”

You glance at the dining room. A mug is spilled over, her trident is embedded in the table and a deep gouge in it isn’t too far away. There’s blood on the table, the floor, the chair where you saw her sitting when you went to keep the kids company.

“... Are you okay?”

“I said I’m fine. I’m alive.” She sighed. “... S-sorry about- you know.”

“You’re... immortal?” You’re still trying to figure out what happened.

“Immortal in a sense, only so far.” Corrin sighs again, pinching the bridge of her nose and waving her hand around. “I can still get killed with the right conditions.” Another huff, her hands wave around to try and grasp the words, “T-there was a lizard- Catria- Conrad helped me, thank him.”

Good ol’ Conrad. Saber raised a good kid.

Still, you hold her shoulders, “Are you going to be okay? You’re sure?”

“I should be fine with some rest.” She mutters, “Been awhile since I’ve been that close.” You hate how she said close. She could’ve said anything else but she said she was close and you never want to hear it again. “A long while.”

“How?” You ask. “How’d you even get... close?”

She’s silent for a long time. “There’s an idea, but...” She shakes her head, says something more under her breath, then, louder, “I don’t think so. It’s... It’s preposterous.”

Good enough for you. Distraction time. “Kids wanted you to tell them goodnight.”

She smiles, then gestures a bit pitifully to herself. You both go to the kitchen sink real quick and wipe up most of the drying blood, and then you take off your jacket and zip it up around her to cover what you couldn’t get. Don’t need to cause a panic, after all. The night is chilly, but you hold hands walking back to the barn and you hardly feel the cold.

She looks a little less dead, talking with the kids.

Mission accomplished.

...

There’s a lot to juggle. You’ve got a grocery list running in your head on how to feed a party’s worth of people on a budget, you’re getting the rooms you use for some of the kids you shelter for work cleaned up and renovated so that those poor kids aren’t stuck in a barn forever. You’re glad you’ve kept a small sunglasses collection so they don’t go blind from actual sunlight. Valbar’s got Nah, Kaden and Hinata are ecstatic to have Yarne.

The Fort has a cotillion open to the general public the week after halloween, and you have a few days. Maybe a good place for a date, you think.

Corrin spends a lot of time with them, trying to scrub away the layers of cult brainwashing and explaining what she’s learned about modern life. She still has to turn to you, every now and then, and you hope that she’s not too afraid to ask for your advice on things. Her impression is good, but maybe not entirely sound at times, and these kids already have pretty shaky impressions of life outside of a mineshaft.

A little ball and some formal wear never hurt anyone, right?

You’ve got the boys, Corrin has the girls, your place has two bathrooms that you know are going to be hell to clean up, but you also have all these kids who need a god damn bath and are on standby to make sure they get cleaned up. Or if they get soap in their eyes.

You shoot Sakura a text with Corrin’s clothing size to see if her or Hinoka have a dress Corrin could borrow.

Corrin pulls an all nighter fixing up the bunk beds. It’s a bit of a sloppy job, you have to admit that, but it’s sound enough to hold your weight which means good enough for the kids. They don’t care about the job being sloppy. The bed’s soft and comfy. You have to set up some air mattresses in the basement, too, and you feel like a bad host, but none of them care.

She deserves a nice night to relax.

(Sakura texts back: [You think this dress will suit her?])

You get in touch with Saber for an eyepatch. He’s confused as hell, remarks about how you shouldn’t let the jokes about losing your eye get to you that badly. Just jokes: you’re the redhead ace of the Diviners, and Niles has already lost an eye, it’s just a natural joke to make, don’t take it personally. He sobers up when you mention Lucina.

Oh, wait, god, how can you coordinate with her? ([Yes! It’s perfect, Sakura, thank you.])

Lucina is confused by the eyepatch. You ask if she’d like help putting it on, and she huffs that she doesn’t need it. She then asks what it’s for. You explain it’s for her eye. She puts it over the wrong eye, and bluntly announces that it’s a rather useless gift. You explain it’s for the OTHER eye. To help- well, you don’t want it to sound like she’s ugly or anything, because she really isn’t, so you explain for some people a scar like that can be really scary and the eyepatch is to help mitigate that. She asks if she’ll look weak. You explain that actually she’ll still look kinda tough, but in a cooler way. The eyepatch suits her.

([Subaki, when will we meet her? She sounds lovely.])

You talk with Corrin about going to the cotillion. She lights up, and then asks if she could bring the kids so they could see more of the world. You were kinda hoping it would be a date, but you can’t say no to the light in her eyes and the eagerness as she explains the vision she has for a lovely night out. She’s excited to show them more.

([Soon. Gotta make the moment perfect.])

“Just not all 13 at once,” Is your sole protest, “We gotta acclimate them to it, okay? You can take a few of them with you and then they can talk about it, and then we take a few others, and then you see?” 

She nods, “Smart.”

([Alright, you know we all can wait. Just don’t put it off forever.])

Okay, you had one more protest, and that was more chaperones. Palla and Catria found the kids, so the two of you ask. They point out someone has to stay behind for the other kids, since at most they have about... 3 brain cells all together? The two of them agree to go, at least, and you do not want to saddle either of them with an overwhelming number of kids again.

The dress fits Corrin perfectly, and you kinda suspect it’s not a hand me down from Hinoka or Sakura. Empire waist and a bit of a plunging neckline, but she’s already proven she looks divine in white and the floral print on the fabric is a dusty pink that compliments her well. You also really don’t mind the high slit in the skirt.

They’re taking Owain, Cynthia, Nah, Lucina, Marc and Morgan. You think that is... a bit of an overwhelming combination, but Corrin assures you she can handle it. She’s glowing again, radiant, bursting with joy and anticipation. The kids are excited, too. It’s a hard thing to say no to.

Corrin’s a little sad you aren’t going. She seems to have finally picked up your initial intent with the offer. “I’ll be back soon, okay?” She mumbles into your neck.

“Of course you will. Go out and have fun darling, don’t let me stop you.”

“I love you.”

“I love you.”

You don’t realize this is the last hug you’ll share with her.

...

It’s gotten way too late for the cotillion to still be going on. You’ve ended up playing every board and card game in the house you can find and come up with with the kids, and you don’t think anything too important has happened. Not like the venue went up in smoke, right?

Okay, maybe it did, because Lucina arrives with Cynthia, Marc and Morgan. They’re all pretty shaken. They talk in jumbled turns about a dragon? They were talking with someone, and then a fight broke out, and there was a dragon, and you don’t know where to even begin trying to piece together what happened.

You tell them they’re home now, they’re safe, and it’s okay. Time for bed, too. You make some hot chocolate to try and help calm them down, and soon enough things settle again. Most of the kids are asleep and the ones that aren’t are at least keeping their voices down as they try and talk out what happened over hot chocolate.

You don’t know where Corrin and Owain are. Nah, you learned, was with Saber, but Corrin and Owain's whereabouts are unknown. You’re gonna have to find them, so you start getting your things together.

But then you get a vid call, and it’s Corrin. “Hey! Hey, sweetie, how are you?” There's one problem solved.

“Hello, father!” Owain adds, as bombastic as ever beside her.

“Hey, I’m fine,” You try to figure out her surroundings, “Where have you been? Lucina and the others got back here and-”

“Oh thank goodness.” Corrin sighed. She then looked around, “And, um, right now? On a train. We’re headed for Sanctuary.”

You pause for a quick mental map. It doesn’t add up, why would they be heading for Sanctuary? Corrin’s tough, she can handle herself, but there’s a bad feeling in your stomach. “Are you okay, at least?” You ask.

“Me and Owain are fine, just- We ran into Clive, and Alm he-” She sighs.

“It’s okay.” It’s kind of not okay if Clive got involved. You don’t have a god damn clue what would be up with Alm, and you know he’s proven to be a good kid despite being around Clive’s crowd. Especially not when he’s Python’s kid, there’s no way Python would encourage Alm to listen to the bastard. Forsyth, on the other hand, maybe, but it’s a hard call.

Then there's the dragon business, which is a touch concerning given none of these people are Shifters or anything, as far as you know.

“We’re heading for Sanctuary to make sure everyone’s okay.” Corrin continues. “Are you fine? Has anything happened?”

“All quiet on this front, love.” You assure her. “Be careful out there, okay? I’ll make sure the kids stay safe.”

“Okay, I will.”

She looks at you. Long and hard, like she’s trying to pick out every detail. You wonder if your hair’s messed up again, or if there’s been something in your teeth. You don’t mind her staring, but it’s a long, long time she spends doing it. At least her eyes are gorgeous: ruby red and soft, a little old, a little sad.

Owain nudges her, clears his throat. “Mother, you were going to say something?”

“Oh, um, y-yes.” She tucks a bit of hair behind a pointed ear, gnaws at her lip. “Um, Subaki...”

She trails off very expectantly.

“Yes?”

She pauses again.

“... you know I love you, right?”

“I know.”

Owain groans, “Mother! Mother, that is not what you were going to say!” You laugh. The kid has a way of brightening things up. He then commandeers the phone from her and clears his throat, “Father, if she won’t say it then I will: Do you desire with all your heart to take her hand and bind it to yours with the sacred, arcane rites of matrimony for now and all eternity?”

Corrin looks downright embarrassed. Pink all over her face from the tip of her nose to the tips of her ears. Her fingertips cover her mouth, and she’s looking at you for a response. Married? No issue. Some days it already felt like you were. There’s no fear in settling down with her when it feels exactly like where you were supposed to be. You’re warm, so warm there’s no room for any sort of chill.

“Would you like a translation?” Corrin asks.

You smile, “I’d like to hear it in _your_ words.”

She laughs, “Ah, well... You mean a lot to me. You’ve been... so lovely to me, and...” You zone out a little, admittedly. You can’t stop thinking about her- the way she talks, the way her hair hangs over her shoulder. How her words are composed carefully, but still hold a lilt and give to them that reassures you it’s all on the spot. She’s perfect. She’s absolutely perfect.

“Subaki, would you marry me?”

Your lips part to say yes. Of course. You’d always say yes. She’s your wife-

But there’s a sudden lurch in the image, everything getting tossed this way and that from inertia with a sickening crunch. Owain yells for Corrin. She yells for Owain. The phone they’re holding goes flying and all it can show you is a blurry swath of carnage and fire, and then Corrin, not moving, bloody-

_“Immortal in a sense, only so far... I can still get killed with the right conditions.”_

The image goes dark.

A busy signal goes off.

You drop the phone.

You drop to your knees.

You can’t stop crying.

...

Life is cold. 

By some miracle you manage to enter a fitful sleep, and leave it in the morning with the realization that you don’t have to share your bed anymore. Corrin’s gone. She’s gone. It repeats around in your echo chamber of a head: she’s gone.

You go to make breakfast for the kids and it hits you Owain’s gone, too. They’re both gone. You don’t know what to tell the other kids, you don’t even know where to begin with yourself besides bottling the grief up as best you can to keep panic at bay. You burn some of the eggs and bacon, pancakes come out lopsided and a little undercooked or overcooked. They’re kind to you, they still say it tastes great. They say that Corrin would say that it can’t always be perfect.

She would. She would.

They ask about when her and Owain are coming back.

“They’re going to be a little... late.” Your eyes are stinging and your throat is tight and lies taste like bile on your tongue, “They had some errands to run, they’ll be back later.”

Lucina’s looking at you.

You goad them into running around in the yard and digging holes and trying to play baseball and whatever else they please. You do the dishes by hand, forgoing the dishwasher, and spend way too long on each plate and fork and cup. You even dry them by hand when you finally finish them, then put them up meticulously in every cabinet and drawer. You do a bunch of useless cleaning, straight up busywork to try and distract yourself. That’s what you do in a crisis like this: you do busywork.

You run out of things to do and decide to check on Champ for Brady. Kids seem fine as you cross the yard and almost run into one of Marc and Morgan’s holes.

Corrin and Owain are gone.

You’re cold.

You cry some more.

You want to talk with Mikoto, a time like this you are desperate for that loving shoulder, attentive ear, soothing advice, and a stress baked cookie to top it all off, but it’s not even remotely good timing. You can’t even look at your phone, let alone hold it or dial to even talk with her about visiting. She hasn’t even met Corrin and you can’t bear to tell her about the wife she never got to meet.

God, she was your _wife_. If only for a beautiful, shining moment.

You turn around to leave, find other things to do, and find you’re not alone anymore. You don’t recognize the guy. 

He’s draped in white and blue, a large part of it being a cape and the rest a mass of fabric hard to parse out, but it looks... Odd in the light. Like someone turned the saturation up too bright in photoshop, there’s something vibrantly unreal and feverishly lucid about the colors. His skin is sickly and his hair is stark white and, frankly, a mess between windswept bangs and uneven cuts everywhere. His eyes are red, dark, and sharp. There’s no expression on his face, not really, but there’s something to it, some sort of layer that grabs your attention as unnerving. He reminds you a lot of rancid milk.

You wipe up some tears to save face, “Can...” Deep breath, clear throat, “Can I help you?”

“You can.” The guy sounds bored. He doesn’t say anything else. You wait for him to explain and he doesn’t make a move.

“... How?”

He doesn’t even seem to hear you. His neutral expression is becoming less so as his brows sink and he frowns. Does he think you know what he’s talking about? You don’t have a clue, you just met him, you can’t be asked to know that and yet you feel a small train of thought pass by with that unbearable whistle: “you forgot something, idiot!” Underneath the off factor, underneath the chill this guy exudes, something about him is terribly familiar. Awfully, terribly familiar are the red eyes that glare at you.

He finally talks again, lifting his head up slightly as if he were addressing a worm, and his features relax again save a gentle snarl: 

“Just don’t _struggle._ ”

A few years running yourself ragged out of danger to save more than just your own neck has taught you a request like that is not out of any good in his heart. Your gun is in the sidetable in the bedroom. You’re in the barn. The kids are outside. He’s blocking the entrance, but appears to be relatively unarmed. You freeze up a bit as fight or flight kicks in, but you stomach it a second to look at your options.

Goal: Stay alive, keep kids safe, diffuse situation. Easy. Just 3 things. You can do 3 things. You start edging, circling around him and towards a rusty pitchfork leaning against the opposite wall. You’ve never bothered to throw it out, and boy are you glad you didn’t. “Well... I generally don’t.”

“You know what I’m talking about.” He sighs. “Just make this easier for me, I have a nap to get back to.” He starts walking forward, and his cape gets brushed aside to unveil his hands are clawed. Armed! Alright. Magically so, to boot.

You decide to drop pretense and make a run for the pitchfork. You need to get something, you’re just a guy and he’s at the very least a Glamour, you’re already disadvantaged. If you can get there fast enough, swap positions, you can at least try and hold out.

You’re not fast enough. He catches your eye with a claw, and you stumble. It, understandably, hurts a lot, but worse is you can’t see out of it anymore. You stumble around to get back to facing him just in time for his hand to slam your throat into the ground. You can’t breathe.

“You always like being so helpful,” he sneers, “and yet, of course, you can’t be bothered to make this one little thing easy for me.”

Your hands are trying to pry his off, but his hand feels solid as a rock. He is stronger than you by leagues.

“All you have to do is die, you know. That’ll make me _so_ happy.” He swings wildly from unrestrained contempt to deranged sarcasm and back again.

“W-why...?” His eyes are red and they burn. Your vision is browning at the edges. 

“Because it’s time for change, _sweetheart_.” The endearment drips like venom, “I think it’s time I get all the friends, the affection. It’s time for everyone to love me,” he squeezes harder, “just as much as you all love _her._ ”

“C... Corrin...?”

His eyes are red.

Hers were red.

“... Corrin...”

...

You’re on a boat. The guy steering it is friendly, calls himself Atlas.

He says you’re dead.

You’ve spent the past several you-don’t-know-how-long freaking out about it. You still can’t see out of your other eye too well, but you don’t care because it doesn’t hurt anymore and your kids have been orphaned. (again.) But then that doesn’t matter. You’re dead. It’s a one way trip, you can’t go back and tell someone.

Atlas asks about them. Just think about the good times, right? He listens patiently to you explaining everything you know about all of them. He’s a good guy. He wishes them all well, name by name, and the ferry to whatever comes next comes to a stop.

You don’t know why the afterlife is a _casino_ , but you’re not about to question it. You turn to say thanks and bye, but Atlas is gone. Must be a busy day for dying.

You don’t take the first step until you realize Corrin could be here. One little solace, one thing to at least keep a depressing spiral at bay. You can worry all you want about the kids, but there’s nothing to do about it. You can maybe go out and find her here. This is all surreal, strange, but you can hold out. Hold out just a bit longer.

You ask if anyone’s seen her- has anyone, anyone seen your wife, Corrin -and no one hears you, no one even looks your way. They gamble and drink and make merry, oblivious to the world around them. None of them look like her, none of them share the warmth. You begin to wonder if she’s even here, if there’s another place for gods to go if they die.

“You poor thing...”

You whirl at the first sound of someone addressing you. A woman with long ears, a horn from her forehead to sprouting to part her green hair. She’s hounded by other girls, but she’s addressing you with eyes that are emerald green and deep as the earth itself. You glance at her side, and find Catria there. You don’t know why Catria’s here.

“I-I’m looking for my wife, Corrin.” You say. That’s what matters right now, and if she can listen to you you’re not going to waste time, “Have you seen her?”

The woman grabs a drink from a nearby server and offers it to you, “Here, take a drink.” You accept it, but you don’t know what’s in the glass. It might be alcoholic, you think. It’s not water, that’s for sure. You look at the woman, wonder why she glanced off your question and if she’s just like the rest, but she only smiles. “Go on. Take a sip, you must be weary.”

You drink, and as you do she asks, “Now what were you looking for again?”

“I... I was looking for...” The drink is saccharine, but not unbearably so. It tastes like a perfect spring day, not cold, not warm, but just right and numbingly so. You can’t remember what you were looking for. You’re not cold. You’re not warm. You’re just here.

“Good, let your worries wash away.” The woman says. “They cannot reach you here.”

“Um, thank you...”

She smiles, “Mila.”

...

You wander. You don’t like gambling much, so it doesn’t appeal, so you only drink. You drink and drink and wander and wander. It goes on forever, you’re pretty sure, or it at least feels that way. 

You somewhat remember what you were looking for when Mila leaves, but it doesn’t matter much. Why would your wife be here? Why would an angel be down here? You can’t recall her face, her voice, her anything. You just know she was there and then she was gone. You’re here now, this is your resting place and where you belong. A fool amongst the rabble, decaying away in the revelry of the dead.

You end up bumping into a woman. You spill your drink on yourself and you don’t care. She apologizes profusely and mentions she’s looking for someone, then freezes up. She knows your name.

“It’s me!” She says.

“Do I know you?” You ask. She’s hazy, and you definitely don’t recognize her. Coal black hair and brown eyes. She’s wearing some sort of odd tavern wench costume, you suppose, with a gauze capelet hanging off her shoulders. She’s okay. Maybe she’s new here.

“I-I’m looking for you.” She stammers.

“Okay...” You swear to god you’ve never seen her, no matter how familiar e feels. "You, uh, found me." This is an awkward as hell exchange. You have nothing better to do, but there’s no point in letting awkwardness linger. “I’m going to go sit down.”

She follows right after like a dog after its master. She doesn’t stop asking questions, she holds your hand. She asks you about your wife. She insists your wife is here, and if she isn’t she can help you find her. She’s so sure of it. You need a drink, and she waves you along to it, if it’s what you need.

It’s ludicrous. It’s all ludicrous. Your wife was an angel, she had a mission, why would she be here? Why would she help you? Why would she risk all that just for you, who died too young and barely did shit? Why would anyone come for you down here? Anyone who would is gone. This is hell, you know that because you’re truly alone. You are alone and you’ve spent a lot of time alone and cold, but at least here the cold doesn’t matter. It’s not warm, but it’s not cold, and you can settle for that.

The woman doesn’t seem to understand.

“She’s your wife, why wouldn’t she come find you?” She holds your face, “Look at me,” She urges softly, “just look at me.”

Black hair. Brown eyes. Soft hands.... Warm hands. She’s warm.

“Look harder, really, really look, Subaki.”

She’s hazy, blurry, and for a moment it feels like tuning an old radio. Things fall out of sync, they slip and slide to and past the frequency.

She wipes the tears from your face and suddenly it all falls into place.

Blue hair. Red eyes. She’s smiling and crying. “Hi. It’s me.”

She’s here. She came here for _you._

You hold her, spin her around. You both laugh and cry.

The world is warm again.


	2. The Context

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter where some holes from unfortunate pick of POV get filled and is largely lore dump rambling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is me giving a lore dump on what's going on with the Main Plot/Surrounding Scenes since Mr. Subaki is an NPC and ended up not privy to some wild ass times. Not necessarily needed but I feel this is appreciated for some folks.

Scene 0-

So who exactly are we all playing in FLUX?

* Me: Corrin, scion of the god Anankos born from half his heart. I also take up Subaki on occasion, and one (1) time I did Tatiana. MOTW Class is The Divine.  
* Friend Wulf: Alm, one (1) good kid and actually a draconic Shifter who's been raised by Clive with the intention of making big bucks when the dragon bit wakes up. MOTW Class is The Chosen, a touch of The Monstrous.  
* Friend Saturn: Catria, middlest Whitewing, repurposed into iirc a mercenary monster hunting group in this setting, happened to have sold her soul to a Very Nasty Lizard for her sister's happiness. Took up Fjorm for one (1) second and also has a very feral OC hanging out w/ the gang at the moment. MOTW Class is The Crooked.  
* Friend Mo: Palla, eldest Whitewing, slightly out of the loop but still cares very much. MOTW Class is The Professional.  
* Friend Bonnie: Conrad, Saber's Vampire kid and arrived very late to the party (the Corrin Lore Dump is when they joined) but he's a good kid and the reason I'm not playing Subaki as a main character jfhsdag. MOTW Class is The Spell Slinger with a touch of The Monstrous as well.  
* Friend Icarus: As Keeper, literally everyone else and the usual holder of the Subaki brain cell but shhh. My turn.

Scene 1-

This, ironically, is actually the most recent session we did! Our Keeper's been making sure that the continuation of the story proper isn't rushed out, so we ended up having a flashback session for The Origin Story in a sense, wherein Subaki ends up volunteered into helping Sakura out of trouble because he's the only dumbass in the Diviners who isn't drunk off his ass. Alm and Celica and the other Ram kids were having a tea party tee hee, Conrad was clinging to Saber, who was hanging out with Python, Jesse, and other founding members of the Diviners. Oh yeah, Subaki also was asked like twice if he and Catria were dating and one response was "I have standards" along the lines of "why would I date someone I literally met tonight." and miss Catria he didn't mean it like that.

Clive was here, too, bastard shot Sakura, and so was Alm, babey, did no wrong, but Subaki had a bit of trouble picking that out given they were both in a van and he was a lot more focused on Sakura and Gaius. It's okay Catria shot Clive in the leg (hence the good shot reference).

WHICH ASIDE: It's perfectly okay to like Mr. Clive Fire Emblem Gaiden/Echoes, but know that in this campaign he's an absolute little bitch with no redeeming qualities and no one likes him. Yes this might be a bit ooc, but frankly everyone's ended up that way this is barely even a fanwork anymore adjfdsakghfg

Also of note is that yes Mr. Owain ended up time traveling to interfere with this night and make sure it went well. Mr. Owain does know magic proper, but it's separate from Glimmer magic that much I can say.

ANYWAYS Hoshido v Nohr has been translated to this setting as two Glamour families- Nohr Vampires and Hoshidan Werewolves -who have intense as hell christmas decor rivalry. Subaki happens to be involved with Hoshido, obviously, and adopted by Mikoto basically on the spot. Oh yeah, the two families are also very, very rich.

Yes Takumi ate Hinoka’s book and no I don’t know how that works it’s probably a werewolf family thing.

Also I say again Clive is a little bitch because he brought Alm along to learn how to shoot monsters and ended up asking an 11 year old to drive him to the hospital for his dumb leg.

It’s okay Python and Forsyth are Alm’s dads.

Scene 2-

This is a bit of a background bridge between this scene and the next, which was our actual first session so long ago I can barely remember what happened dsfhajkghafdg

Anyways Saber’s parents were Glamours but he’s an ordinary ass dude and that created a bit of suspicion on the Glamour side of things and so he had to get the hell out of dodge for a second, so ta ta Mr. Saber, Conrad, and Celica. Lima IV who he does not exist Saber is Conrad and Celica’s dad.

Subaki has a barn and that was made in an absolute improvised panic and he’s also neighbors w/ the Whitewings which is fun. We’ve done a few things with Niles, mostly part of Corrin’s intro scene and dating her brother in the BG. Sonya is here to be the bomb-ass bitch she is. We have done literally nothing with Deen but he’s here. Kaden was another party member who joined a little late and then had to back out for a bit and so far they haven’t come back wholly into the party yet, and Hinata is a golem whose bonded to him and they’re boyfriends.

In the meantime, Clive’s assigned Alm to taking care of a mystery shack-esque spot known as The Shack, which has a lot of memorabilia and oddities and such that happen to be the Glamours he’s taken out- notable example being the stuffed werewolves that happen to be Valbar’s family. Clive’s a monster hunter of the Very Bad Kind and the Deliverance is based on killing monsters and making money off of it and he honestly sucks. Python’s already a bit of a double agent for the Diviners, Lukas and Forsyth are going along with it for the moment (there is some magic involved, iirc) but those attitudes are changing. His relationship with Mathilda is getting cucked by Sonya and he deserves it.

Also on the note of Ram kids: Faye’s been pretty bg, Kliff’s shown up once or twice but is pretty wandery as expected, and Gray and Tobin are so No Homo it’s incredibly painful.

Scene 3 + 4-

Ah! First session landmark. Was a very fun time. Icarus had pointed out I could’ve recruited Subaki into our helpful NPC roster from the moment they met, but I played my cards badly expecting this to be the set up afhjkdhgs

Anyways Corrin failed a charm roll and Niles pulled a knife on her for all the “oh well I need help w/ you know” tee hees. Jesse came in and true to character immediately flirted, but the very interesting part is the room Corrin got was across from his and used to be Saber’s

Anyways Jesse apparently got killed by the blob mentioned later, but then it turns out he faked his death so he’s alright and Subaki had a “oh shit he died” for nothing fhdsjkghafkg. Jesse and Subaki being kinda friends is a weird and vaguely cursed concept but you know what I can lean into it.

Scene 5 + 6 + 7-

Corrin’s new digs are stolen from what was left behind when Saber had to book it, but she doesn’t know that so it’s fine sjfhsdafg She was also kinda sad Jesse died too because humans should live longer than this u know? 

Anyways it was a wild ass time because the evil lizard that acted as Catria’s proxy to the demon she sold her soul to got her to go over to Saber, Mae, and Boey (Genny might’ve been there too), Subaki, Corrin, Kaden, and Hinata managed to get on the scene, and Alm and Leon also got over after a bunch of Alm + Friends tee hees that were Grand Adventures When A Werewolf Steals Your “Dad”s Shit. ~~Gray got shot but he's fine now it's ok~~

After some meet-ups, Blob Monster arrived and everyone went in to kick ass but Subaki was. Pretty uninvolved so I decided he was probably going “damn I love a girl who can kick my ass” Friend Correct #1 here too I initially had Celica here and actually she was off memory-wiping Gray and Tobin, but I guess even Celica couldn’t stop their painfully bad No Homos

Scene 8 + 9-

There was a lot of other discussions about how to deal with the blob going on here that I’ve. largely forgotten.

I think I actually initially meant to be making an OOC comment about how poor Catria wasn’t just asking cute girls out and that it was really easy all you had to do was just say you like someone but it ended up IC because Icarus immediately chimed in with Subaki on wow are we a thing? Yes. Yes they are a thing. You were literally brought in to be Corrin’s satellite boyfriend because Icarus knows I’m ride and die for this ship.

Also the blob was Zeke and we lured him to a Denny’s parking lot at 3am pretending to do a vine and Corrin accidentally zapped him instead of cured him and then had a moment with her brother, Kamui.

And then with god, her brother, and a half dressed former blob monster, they had denny’s and explained to Corrin what everyone meant when they called her straight and she gently corrected them that she is Pan. 

Then there’s another bridge scene about all the time (about 2 months iirc) spent dating that ended up glossed over because, again, Mr. Subaki is normally holding the NPC braincell. Me and Icarus love Hadestown so when we were thinking of couple costume ideas we immediately had an Orpheus + Eurydice tee hee about it, especially since we wanted to do a Party Goes To Hell Arc.

Scene 10 + 11-

Valbar’s halloween party was a MASSIVE tee hee of a halloween episode and boy oh boy is there big chunks cut because of POV and a lot of weird things that went on.

First off this was our first session with Palla, so her and Catria had some great tee hees about awkwardly catching up and also there was A LOT of joking about how Catria and Palla are awful at flirting and don’t know how to date girls (flirting with Sonya and Minerva respectively), oh yeah and Catria’s lizard was an asshole and tried to kill her but Corrin helped.

Aside, yes, Subaki and Corrin had very painful flirting that was just repeating each other. God it was sappy and dumb and I love them.

Delthea vibe checked basically everyone in the party with a tarot reading courtesy of Icarus. The 3 cards he drew are mentioned and I will confirm they were very accurate to Corrin in that moment who’s been delaying her divine mission stuff to have tee hees with a boyfriend.

So when Corrin went after Alm, Alm was going after Leon who was going off to sulk about how his highschool boyfriend got killed by the Deliverance way earlier before the campaign began, and it was a very cool flashback sequence courtesy of his Glimmer powers. I WANTED to be involved, but I also tried to stack too much on my plate and ended up on voice chat through my phone in a spot that didn’t have good enough signal for me to be heard in chat sometimes + was a bit distracted driving so we ended up after this session deciding that Corrin wandered around in the flashback sequence getting horrified and very pissed at what happened, but when she came to decided to scat back to the party while Alm talked with Leon about his Trauma.

Next scene from the party was Minerva managed to get a signal to something, so her, Palla, and Catria booked it to a mineshaft. Since I’d been unable to do much in the Alm scene, Icarus offered to get me in this one. How? There are magical guiding wisps from Azura that Corrin used in our first session and they managed to come up when they were about to *ahem* So Corrin up and leaves for the big Mineshaft tee hee, and I imagine she didn’t really explain why so I got to have fun with a mopey Subaki who feels like he pushed boundaries too much and bring out miss Sonya, who is honestly really fun to write. Also she’s like. Never worn a shirt in the campaign.

Anyways the big mineshaft tee hee was there was a cult in there consisting of the Awakening cast hanging out and worshipping Anankos, and happens to be the location of his seal. Miss Corrin arrived and then promptly had an anxiety attack from the shock that involved adopting all the 2nd gen in one fell swoop, since most of 1st gen had literally walked into a pit and died and the ones that didn't weren't coming back any time soon.

Yes, this is where The Gang Panicked and we ended up giving Subaki a barn.

I must say Subaki took suddenly having 13 kids to look after surprisingly well. What an MVP.

Scene 12 + 13-

Another branchy sort of passage, mostly to do Corrin’s lore dump that she gave the party. She’s a bit of a traumatized soul herself, mostly in the form of a not too great beginning that guilts her even millennia later (she overcompensates for it with uwus) and a lot of daddy issues stemming from being an offshoot of him, and the emotional offshoot at that. TFW you compulsively love your dad because your dad loved a lot and you're a being made from his distilled emotions but also dad you’re a sociopathic monster.

Anyways I rambled a lot about the Awakening kids here because I think everyone needed a moment to get their spotlight, but admittedly there’s like half of them we haven’t really talked about. Correction #2 is here, Nah doesn’t have pointy ears yet like I accidentally because according to Wulf’s really good Dragon Shifter Lore Dragons naturally pass for Human until they have their first transformation. Inigo fans we’re sorry the poor boy flirts with rocks for a hobby he has. Negative braincells.

Anyways what happened during the Corrin lore dump was pretty tame and lore dumpy until Catria’s lizard showed up and made itself known to everyone in the party, and after much banter and patience wearing Corrin stabbed it, which almost killed her, and then Alm cut its head off, which almost killed her (again). Everyone say Thank You Conrad for knowing how to Heal I'm very convinced Bonnie's arrival to the group was Blessed By The Dice.

Anyways the lizard was a big tee hee and I was a big dumbass who did not get the tee hee. The tee hee was the lizard’s a form her brother’s been taking, and hurting Kamui hurts her since they're the two halves of Anankos's heart, hence her comment about a theory, but it being ridiculous. I Did Not Get The Hint but Corrin might have so quick let her drop the braincell because she loves and beliebs in her brother.

Scene 14-

Montage time of the week between halloween party and the cotillion (where things went VERY batshit) featuring the likely problems one would find with raising kids who had been living in a mine while also talking with the fam you babysit for about a cute dress for the gf. 

We decided Kaden and Hinata adopt Yarne, and Nah got adopted by Valbar which lead to a tee hee moment where she said Alm was “Like [her]” and even though shortly after this I realized what Wulf was up to w/ Alm I will explain in the next scene’s context.

OOC I intended her dress to be borrowed, but after thinking about it knowing that the Hoshidans are wealthy enough to say “oh yeah we can buy you a new motorcycle” they probably just deadass bought Corrin a dress.

Anyways there was a lot of OOC joking that Subaki was gonna lose an eye eventually and yeah there was probably IC joking too. Lucina with an eyepatch is a movement I can get behind.

Also Icarus asked me, Saturn, and Mo to pick out kids for the cotillion tee hee and that turned into the wholeass Justice Cabal + Lucina and Nah.

Also I got very sad because this is the last time (so far) Corrin saw Subaki alive and it might end up staying that way (crying cat meme).

Scene 15-

So HOLY SHIT did things go down at the cotillion uhhh. Alm was hanging out with Conrad and Saber and Leon and waiting for Celica to come by, Corrin was with Palla and Catria and the kids, everyone’s having a tee hee time. Kids leave the table to explore and Corrin goes to chaperone, leaving Palla and Catria to just Vibe. Leon leaves to set up a tee hee but Alm and Conrad don’t follow because they’re waiting for Celica.

Kids end up encountering Clive, Lukas, Forsyth (who is knocked tf out from drinks), and Python is technically there but leaves for a second to be a Mole and give Saber Clive’s notebook about monster hunting. Clive already knows about the Mineshaft Gang, Corrin already knows he’s a Massive Dick, they try to keep things civil but in the “the only reason I’m not at your throat right now is we’re at a public party” sort of way.

Eventually Corrin manages to get the kids away, but only kind of because she lets drop that Saber’s around and Clive is Interested in that.

Conrad and Alm are still vibing, miss Celica’s back and they have teehees, Clive arrives and starts lecturing Alm about how he’s hanging out with a “bad group”, but doesn’t get very far before Corrin comes and bitchslaps him with a trident, and then pins him with it. Because she’s not very happy with the man coming in and threatening her cobbled together mortal fambly.

Remember Leon’s tee hee?

Leon’s tee hee is he shoots Lukas.

So chaos breaks out at the cotillion, Saber grabs Nah and says he’s taking her over to Sanctuary, Corrin is very unhelpful and does a “Yeah I’ll meet you at Sanctuary” which great Corrin thank you Clive knows. Clive also poofs which that + knowing about Mineshaft Cult means he’s tangled up with Anankos GREAT.

Oh yeah, also Almond is a Dragon Shifter. Almond is going berserk as a dragon because this is a stressful and bad situation and he was never really raised to understand he was a Shifter and that Dragons especially need to mind their stress and anger levels. Alm ends up accidentally hurting Lukas trying to headbutt him out of the way, and Conrad was trying to heal him but ended up having a panic attack and then a Need to Feed Vampire Urges so uh. Good night, sweet Lukas.

Oh yeah, Catria and Palla have been helping people get out. Good for them.

Anyways the party is uh, in absolute shambles, so the gang ends up heading for the train to get to Sanctuary to try and stop Clive’s tee hee, and it’s a fun time. By fun time I mean we got stuck in a Train Crash Time Loop. Conrad and Leon are moping. Saber’s hanging around, Catria and Palla are also vibing. Me and Icarus talked about doing Corrin’s proposal tee hee but I tried to tee hee back with “ah but she doesn’t and regrets it” but Icarus chimed in with Owain to Make It Happen and then the train crashed into Sanctuary before Subaki actually said yes.

Oh yeah and Alm discovered a dead body because he had a vision of the train crash and tried to warn everyone and then went off on himself.

It’s okay Miss Azura is God and says it’s time loop time featuring murder mystery on a train. Ultimately Palla pops a cap in Donnel and also turns out Jesse faked his death but almost died (again).

Scene 16 till “End”-

Drafts notes said Enter Rancid Milk Brother.

So Kamui’s been an antagonist this whole time because he’s been jealous of the attention Corrin gets and how she doesn’t give him enough and that coupled with evil daddy issues means he’s become quite the prick under Corrin’s nose. Been the one holding Catria’s soul over her head and making her do things, been part of all of Evil Dad’s plotting, and now comes time for him to murder sister’s boyfriend because she doesn’t deserve nice things.

Now the thing is I am Bad at Action Choreography and also had like three things to go off of for how Subaki died: that it was Kamui, a GOD, v Subaki, that it was quick, and that his eye got fucked in the meantime. So maybe this was a little underwhelming and I will own up to that and also remind the crew who’s actually part of this wild ride that this is dubiously canon because I’m not the keeper which means your head may come up with something cooler ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

Anyways Subaki dies, and about a week or two later after the party completes Hell Train shenanigan puzzles, Kamui comes to collect on Catria, convinces Leon that even though he’s dating Conrad now he’s better off dead, and Corrin comes home to get vibe checked by the sight of her boyfriend’s corpse rotting in the barn and finding out that oh yeah maybe she should have suspected her brother. She gives him a lot of firm talking to that managed to get good enough dice rolls (astounding when her class is -charm) to make him feel bad and come with her to fix his evil problem.

Anyways Hell so far has a Casino, a Cheesecake Factory, and a Carnival, and Subaki’s been hanging out in the Casino drinking what we’ve affectionately called Mila Milk that ends up numbing out memories in a Lotus Eater scenario but it’s okay Corrin knew how to talk w/ him to get his memories back even tho I cannot remember the exact words she said. 

Party is currently still stuck there, the plot’s been stalled to give Icarus time to make sure Hell Part 2 lives up to the hype, so I wrapped up around here for some sense of closure. The plan is getting all these dead people out of hell and Icarus has made it clear it’s gonna be possible to fail that and im crying cat meme icarus please they need to get out-

ANYWAYS anyways context on scenes I cut for the sake of a more complete narrative/this was already long and that was a goodish place to stop:

* Since Catria might not make it out of Hell Saturn is pulling double duty with their delightful Gremlin Child OC  
* Cheesecake factory where the dead parents come calling ft. Corrin getting choked by Grima using daddy powers.  
* Icarus asked everyone to give IC Cheesecake Factory orders too and Corrin’s was filet mignon cooked rare and iirc Subaki got an avocado salad.  
* I can’t remember if we got the food or not before Grima came calling but the party did get out real quick after that.  
* Catria was roused from her stupor by Est’s Takis and I think that’s beautiful.  
* We have not found Lukas yet :(  
* Delthea was apparently there too and we didn’t even know it; knew she was babynapped but in Hell? Oof.  
* Anyways Grima poofed to go say hi to the kids (who are being watched by Valbar in the meantime thank you Valbar) and we did a wholeass Home Alone oneshot focusing on Brady, Gerome, and Owain (I think Morgan too) that was wild

So yeah that's all the context and lore I can recall so you, dear reader, are now up to speed on everything plot related to FLUX, a Monster of the Week Campaign that me and my friends have too much fun with.

Please Look Forward to Me Actually getting back on fic writing... Soon, I hope. I'm still working on Subaki/Corrin romance novella, Kinda wanna do a Post KH3 drabble on what's up with everyone, also wanna have a wax poetic moment about Parallels in Shadows of Valentia because there's a lot of wonderful parallels in SOV.

Please have fun with some Quiplash tee hees

**Author's Note:**

> Hi you probably want context to some of these scenes, and you're in luck because chapter two (to be posted uhhh Soon?) will be me rambling about the surrounding "main plot" for all this to help kinda make things a touch clearer
> 
> ANYWAYS happy new year I wanted to squeeze in one more fic, and all my writing braincells went to this instead of literally anything more reasonable. 2019's been a slow fic year and for that I apologize for catching the RP bug because that is basically where all my energy to write is going because it's small and manageable.
> 
> But anyways anyways I hope this was at least entertaining to read even if it lacks context! I had fun writing it which is why it's here shdhdjsk
> 
> May 2020 be wonderful to you all, and may I actually start fucking uploading, huh?
> 
> -Katie, uploading from her phone like a gd dumbass
> 
> P.s. if the title doesnt make sense it's because i couldn't think of anything better. I'm trying to convey POV shift + average dude in love with a literal goddess dfgxvyuvkbdudi


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